Just One Bite
by Keia-Marie
Summary: Based on the one-shot by Yamamoto Kotetsuko. Bird shop owner Masaka Toru has never been one for sweets or confessions. But ever since Singaporean exchange student, Fon-kun came into his life, he may just have a change of heart.


Disclaimer: I do not own Masakadou e Irasshai. I am not making any profit from this story.

**JUST ONE BITE**

In the mid afternoon, Masaka Toru, owner of specialised bird shop, Masaka Hall, carefully set aside the baby parakeets' nest-box. With the tiny hatchlings now settled and fed, the storeowner practically beamed. He adored this line of work.

"Okay, that should do it. Those babies are beginning to mature nicely, aren't they, Peter?" the storeowner cooed to his resident parakeet–who was perched atop his shoulder. "Pretty soon, their flight feathers will start to develop, and before we know it, they'll be independent and ready to leave the nest!"

Masaka earned a chirp of agreement from Peter. It was idyllic afternoons like these, that the ex-salary man treasured most. But that was soon about to change. With the ring of the door chime, in walked Singaporean exchange student and newly appointed part-timer, Fon-kun.

"Hello," he addressed his boss earnestly and stepped inside. "I'm here for my shift."

His heart doing a little flip-flop in his chest, the storeowner mentally kicked himself for loosing track of time. To compensate for the broken window, Fon-kun had begun working at his store.

"Ah, why-why, hello there, and welcome, Fon-kun!" he replied with a smile, desperately trying to act natural. "Is class over already?"

The university student nodded. "Yeah, here," he said, holding up a white box. "Sandwich cookies. I picked them up from the bakery next door. I thought you might like them."

Flattered that Fon-kun would go to such trouble, Masaka didn't have the heart to tell him that he wasn't one for sweets.

"How thoughtful, thank-you, Fon-kun!" he replied, marvelling at the jam-filled cookies.

Ever since Fon-kun had confessed to him, it hadn't been unusual for Masaka to receive tokens of affection from the university student. Not that he _particularly _minded. It warmed his heart.

With the shake of his head and a smile, Masaka outreached his hands. "Here, allow me to take those from you, Fon-kun."

"Sure." Fon-kun handed the box off to Masaka, causing their hands to touch.

Time seemed to standstill the moment their eyes met. Little did Masaka know however, that his part-timer wasn't about to let an opportunity slip by–especially when it came to his crush. But after receiving a loud, threatening cheep from Peter, the spell was broken. With a furrowed brow, the university student let go directed his attention towards the bird.

"So," he replied, his voice low and expression troubled. "I'm still your rival, huh?"

In response, the parakeet began to flap his wings and chatter, creating a fuss within the store.

"Ah, please stop that!" Masaka panicked, fretful that his irate bird would cause another violent incident. "Fon-kun is a good person and doesn't mean any harm, so try not to tease him anymore, understand, Peter?"

Not one to disobey, the parakeet quickly settled down and gave his owner a soft peck on the cheek, earning an adoring smile from Masaka.

"Peter is rather over-protective towards you, isn't he?" The part-timer commented, observing the affectionate display between owner and pet with a frown.

"Ah, I'm sorry about that, Fon-kun," Masaka apologized. "Because I hand-raised Peter, he sometimes views outsiders as a threat. But once he realizes you're not, I'm sure he'll come around in no time!"

"But," Fon-kun added, his brow creasing. "Peter doesn't seem to mind when you pay attention to the other birds. Especially the young ones, he's rather friendly towards them, isn't he?"

Masaka smiled brightly. In the many times that the storeowner had taken care of the babies, Peter had always shown such gentleness towards them. It made his heart swell with pride.

"That's right!" Masaka all but chirped. "Parakeets are family-oriented birds who thrive on social interaction and play. And the babies I care for were orphaned, so Peter is a big help when it comes to their fostering!"

"I see…" Fon-kun's gaze slowly traveled over to the nest-box. "So if you're the like the mother around here, then I guess that would make him… the dad?"

"Huh?" The storeowner raised his eyebrows.

"Nothing," Fon-kun muttered under his breath. As Masaka glanced adoringly over at Peter, he missed the look of irritation on Fon-kun's face.

"Anyway, Masaka-san, if it's okay with you," Fon-kun changed the subject while looping a store apron around his neck. "I'd like to start my shift a bit early today."

"Ah, you would?" Masaka felt a twinge of guilt. With the damaged soundproof glass already replaced, he wondered if there was any need for Fon-kun to continue working here.

"But, Fon-kun," the storeowner paused. "You've been such a big help to me since I fainted, I'm sure you have more important things to do than chip in here?"

"I don't mind. I'm happy to help. Besides, I like spending time with you, Masaka-san," he answered matter-of-factly and began sweeping.

Masaka felt the heat rise to his face. It came as a relief knowing that Fon-kun wanted to stay.

Upon placing Peter back into his cage, he bashfully replied, "Ah, thank-you very much, Fon-kun. I enjoy your company too. Running the shop by myself, I can get a little lonely from time to time. It's nice that you're here." He turned around and smiled brilliantly.

His sharp eyes locked on Masaka, Fon-kun placed his broom aside and moved in close.

"Masaka-san?" he asked, bridging the distance between them. "I think you're really beautiful. So I hope that in time you'll return my feelings and smile like that more often."

Those words came as a shock. Bright red and weak-kneed, Masaka thought he would die of embarrassment. No matter how many times Fon-kun told him he was beautiful, Masaka would never grow used to hearing it.

"B-but, didn't we agree to start out as friends?" he timidly protested over Peter's screeching.

"Yeah," the university student replied, edging in closer, "but you're just too cute. Sorry."

Unbeknownst to Masaka, Fon-kun wanted nothing more than hold him close and never let go. But using his better judgement, the university student took a step back and moved aside. The moment he did so, a customer walked in.

"Welcome, Mimi-kun!" Masaka practically shouted over Fon-kun's shoulder. "W-what can I do for you today?" he asked, trying to calm his pounding heart.

"Yo!" The little boy grinned as he proudly displayed a handful of change on the counter. "I'd like to buy a mineral-salt-block-thingy for Momo, please! Is this enough?"

Masaka, trying act as naturally as possible, adjusted his glasses and smiled. "Well," he answered thoughtfully. "Better count it out first."

As the storeowner began to add up the little boy's change, he noticed Fon-kun out of the corner of his eye and tried to ignore the little flutter in his chest. It wasn't the first time his part-timer made him feel this way. More often than not, Masaka would find himself behaving like a love-struck teenager around the university student.

With the shake of his head, Masaka pushed those feelings aside and walked around the counter, box of cookies in hand.

"Fon-kun got these from the bakery next door," he spoke softly, displaying the cookies to his young customer. "Would you like one? They're jam filled."

The little boy's eyes widened with delight. "Whoa, lucky!" he exclaimed a little too loudly as he looked from Masaka to Fon-kun. "Is it okay if I have more than one?"

"Sure, have as many as you like!" Masaka encouraged with a smile.

After stuffing two cookies into his bag, the little boy joyfully replied, "Thanks! Bye-bye, Masaka-ojii! Bye-bye, helper-ni-chan!"

With the push of the door, the little boy waved at them over his shoulder before running off down the street.

"So, you're a brother and I'm an uncle?" Masaka chuckled, capturing Fon-kun's attention. "That makes me feel old."

"Don't be troubled by it," the university student reassured him. "No matter how much time goes by, you'll always be radiant in my eyes."

His heart racing, Masaka tried to conceal how deeply those words affected him. "Ah, um, I'm honoured by your feelings, Fon-kun. But, I'm too old for you..."

"That doesn't matter to me," he announced suddenly. "Whether it's tomorrow, or a week from tomorrow, my feelings for you will never change."

Masaka froze. The expression that crossed his part-timer's features made him go weak in the knees. It was almost as if Fon-kun was staring right through him.

"Masaka-san," Fon-kun held his gaze. "Please, try and think of me bit more seriously."

"But I already do!" he cried. "I think about you all the ti–_me_." As soon as those words escaped, Masaka immediately placed a hand over his mouth and turned a deep shade of red.

Other than the sound of Peter chirping and struggling to be free of his cage, the silence between them was almost deafening.

"You think about me… all the time?" Fon-kun repeated in shock.

His heart pounding the storeowner found he couldn't look away. In that moment, Masaka knew he'd lost. It was time to be honest with his feelings.

"Ah, uh, ye-yes, I do," he answered quietly. "I'm very fond of you, Fon-kun, and our time together. And even though you act fast and make my heart pound like crazy, I don't hate it. When you leave, I can't wait to see you again. I've never felt this way before."

A moment of silence passed before Fon-kun let out a deep breath and slumped over, giving Masaka a shock.

"Masaka-san," Fon-kun met his eyes. "I'm incredibly happy. That was one _hell _of confession."

Never breaking his gaze, the university student stood closer and gently tilted Masaka's chin up towards him. "I'm in love you. So please, allow me to treasure you from now on."

His eyes wide, Masaka felt a jolt of electricity run through his body. "But," he pleaded. "I'm too old for you! And that wasn't a confession!"

"No need to be shy. As long as are feelings are the same, it'll all work out." He smiled causing Masaka's heart to skip a beat. "Masaka-san?" Fon-kun asked, inching dangerously close. "I want to kiss you. Can I?"

"You can't! The store's still open! So… _Save it for later_!" he shouted, only to realize too late what he'd said.

"Okay." Fon-kun gazed at him intently before moving away. "Then let's go on a date tonight. We can pick up where we left off."

His heart beating fast, the storeowner found himself agreeing before he even had the chance to say no. Despite their age differences, Masaka Toru couldn't deny his feelings for this straightforward sweetheart any longer. He was in love.

In the mid afternoon, the storeowner gazed down at the box of cookies on the counter and picked one up. After gradually taking a bite, Masaka glanced over at Fon-kun and smiled. Perhaps he did have a fondness for sweets after all.

**THE END**

_It has been a real pleasure to write for this pairing! Yamamoto Kotetsuko is one of my all time favorite mangakas, so I hope I did her story (and characters!) justice. I'd be very happy to know if you enjoyed this one-shot! _

Thanks for Reading!


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